People ‘horrified’ by self-driving cars, says survey, as trials begin

Driverless cars are taking to British roads this year, and are a huge focus of manufacturers, but people don’t seem to like it

The new prototype of Google's self-driving car (Google)

Many British people are “horrified” by the idea of self-driving cars, according to a new survey.

Autonomous cars are set to begin trials later this month in four British cities, and they took centre stage at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show, but the British public are still unconvinced.

Almost half of consumers wouldn’t want to be a passenger in such a vehicle, and 43 per cent wouldn’t trust it to drive safely, according to the research commissioned by uSwitch.com. And 16% of people are “horrified” by the idea of being driven in one.

The cars are set to begin tests in Bristol, Coventry, Greenwich and Milton Keynes.

As well as fears about accidental crashes and insurance problems, others have warned that the cars could be used by terrorists and hackers bent on causing chaos on the roads.

But despite all those fears, companies are pushing on with the cars. Google revealed its driverless car just before Christmas, and connected cars have taken a central role within the tech industry.